Iddesleigh War Memorial
The churchyard, The Church of St James, Iddesleigh, Winkleigh, Devon, EX19 8BG
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1449670
- Date first listed:
- 19-Oct-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Iddesleigh War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- The churchyard, The Church of St James, Iddesleigh, Winkleigh, Devon, EX19 8BG
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1449670
- Date first listed:
- 19-Oct-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Iddesleigh War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- The churchyard, The Church of St James, Iddesleigh, Winkleigh, Devon, EX19 8BG
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- The churchyard, The Church of St James, Iddesleigh, Winkleigh, Devon, EX19 8BG
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Devon
- District:
- West Devon (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Iddesleigh
- National Grid Reference:
- SS5691808205
Summary
First World War memorial, granite cross unveiled in 1920.
Reasons for Designation
Iddesleigh War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it made in the First World War
Architectural interest:
* a simple yet poignant granite wheel-head cross incorporating the reversed sword symbol.
* unusually, the memorial has not been adapted for Second World War commemoration and thus retains its original design intent.
Group value:
* with the Church of St James (Grade I) and the Chest Tomb approximately 4m to the south of the Church of St James (Grade II).
History
The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
One such memorial was raised at Iddesleigh as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 7 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The cross was unveiled in June 1920 by Mrs Smyth-Osbourne during a ceremony and service led by the Rector, Reverend JR Paramore, with the Rural Dean, Reverend Emlyn Jones.
Details
The war memorial stands in the south-east corner of the churchyard of the Church of St James (Grade I) and close to a Grade II-listed chest tomb. It takes the form of a granite wheel-head cross with a reversed sword carved in low relief to the front. The cross shaft rises from a tapered plinth, which stands on a square base.
The dedicatory inscription, to the front face of the plinth, reads “TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF/ NOBLE LIVES LAID DOWN BY MEN/ OF IDDESLEIGH 1914 – 1919.”/ (7 NAMES)/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.
This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 22 November 2017.
Sources
Websites
Devon Heritage, Iddesleigh War Memorial, accessed 3 August 2017 from http://www.devonheritage.org/Places/Iddesleigh/IddesleighWarMemorial1914-1918.htm
War Memorials Register, accessed 22 November 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/26063
War Memorials Online, accessed 22 November 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/236459
Other
“Iddesleigh”, Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, 11 June 1920, p15
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 06-Jun-2026 at 15:20:16.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.